5 things to know today: Are earthquakes in Japan and Ecuador related?

Empty food shelves at a store after two powerful earthquakes struck the island of Kyushu on Thursday and Saturday, in Kumamoto, Japan, April 17, 2016. Dozens of the area?s mostly wooden homes crumbled and at least 42 people where killed in the twin quakes, which struck in Japan?s far southwest with magnitudes of 6.2 and 7, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. (Ko Sasaki/The New York Times)

Although the recent severe earthquakes in both Japan and Ecuador happened within a short span of one another, they are not related, the New York Times reports. The fact that the earthquakes occurred within such a short time of each other doesn’t even mean earthquake activity is increasing. Instead, the consistent data documenting the frequency of earthquakes as strong as these allows for their co-occurrence without any major significance.

The finish line won’t mean the end for some Boston Marathon participants during today’s race. As Today reports, some Boston Marathon bombing survivors will run an additional 3,000 miles across the United States to show thanks to the people who helped see them through recovery.

A man is suing Round Rock police for shooting and killing his 8-year-old Rottweiler, Bullet, when responding to an alarm at the man’s house, the American-Statesman’s Claire Osborn reports. Although the police said they shot the dog as he charged, an autopsy showed that the dog was shot while retreating.